PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Norwich University men's wrestling team competed in the Wildcat Open Saturday, turning in multiple place finishes and substantial depth across the lineup in a competitive multi-division field.
The Cadets were paced by
Robert Lyons (Milford, Mass.) at 125 pounds, who placed fifth after a long consolation run that featured four bonus-point victories. Lyons recorded three falls and a technical fall on the day, including pins over Matthew Frueh (Johnson & Wales) and Yosuel Santiago (Castleton).
At
157 pounds,
Reese Bunney (East Nassau, N.Y.) also earned a fifth-place finish, stringing together four straight falls in the consolation bracket before being stopped by Coast Guard's Tye Barker. Bunney pinned opponents from Worcester Polytechnic, Springfield Tech, and Norwich en route to his placement.
Norwich picked up another podium finish at
141 pounds, where
Nicholas Berrena (State College, Pa.) finished fifth. Berrena went 4-2 on the day with two falls and a technical fall, highlighted by a pin of Robert Allcroft (Castleton) and a major decision over Luke LaMagna (RPI).
Additional Cadets advanced deep into the brackets, including
Ben Fournier (Hebron, Conn.) at 125,
Carver Moyer (Easton, Pa.) at 133,
Caden Geanetta (Arvada, Colo.) at 157, and
Gabriel Moltumyr (Park Hill, Md.) at 174, as Norwich consistently put multiple wrestlers into the consolation rounds.
Norwich also saw strong performances from unattached women's wrestlers.
Gianna Silva (Monroe, Conn.) (131) led the group with a third-place finish, advancing to the podium after a series of decisive victories in the championship and consolation rounds.
Charlii Carbajal Sanchez (Broomfield, Colo.) (145) also earned a podium spot, placing third after collecting multiple wins on the back side of the bracket.
At 160 pounds,
Ay'Seante Ross (Wilmington, N.C.) competed unattached and finished fourth, while
Nalani Portela-Bailey (Cibolo, Texas) (145) reached the placement rounds and added valuable experience against a deep field.
Addisyn Herdic (Canterbury, Conn.) (117) and
Gianiece Cope (Bridgeport, Conn.) (117) both recorded wins in round-robin competition.
After the cancellation of New England Wrestling Association (NEWA) duals on Sunday due to inclement weather, both wrestling programs will return to the mat on Jan. 31 when they host simultaneous tri-meets with Maine Maritime and Felician inside Plumley Armory at 11 a.m.
